Acc97 to Acc2k - "Unrecognized Database Format"

[Guru????]

There are several similar (but different) Access97 FEs on several
workstations, all accessing an Access97 database BE on a server.
All work fine.
So I am now trying to review/visit this whole app to make
improvements/enhancements.
I have Access2k.

I can convert the FEs easy using my Access2k, but when I try to even go near
the BE (using Access2k) I get this error.

"Unrecognized Database Format".

So I can't open it, read it, convert it or anything.

I have even written a VB app to read an Access Database, using DAO3.51.
It works fine for everything else I tried... but this one database still
comes up with that error message.

Any suggestions or help will sure be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Guru????]

Can Anyone Help Me ?????

Thanks

 

[Lynn Trapp]

I can convert the FEs easy using my Access2k, but when I try to even go
near

the BE (using Access2k) I get this error.

"Unrecognized Database Format".

You need to open the BE in Access 97.

 

[Guru????]

OK... here's what I have done.... it looks like this will be the solution.

First... I do NOT have Acc97 on my development computer.
Since I am going to re-design/re-develop the app, and will use DAO as the
dbinterface for my VB app, I want to start off seeing what the original db
looks like.
I will design the new db on my computer using Acc2k.
But I WILL have to extract/load old data into the new database, to go live.
So I MUST access the old data on my development computer.
But all I have encountered is that dratted error message.

Anyway, here's what I have done....

Using the production computer which has Acc97:

Open the database, export every table to an external txt file. Close the db.
Create a new empty db. Open the production db.
Copy/paste each table definition from the production db to the new db.

Copy all the txt files, and the new db (with definitions only) to a CD.
Copy from the CD to my development computer.

Using my development computer which has Acc2k:

Open the new db (with definitions only). It WORKS !!!!
It tells me I can only open for read, and must convert. GREAT !!!
Close the db.
Use Acc2k to convert the DB to new format. It WORKS !!!!
Open the new converted db.
Import the txt files into each of the tables.
This works.... sort of.
Many of the records in about half the tables contain date/time fields.
I get an error message about "Incorrect Format" for the majority of these
fields.

It seems that the exported txt files which contain date/time fields have
them with no quotes,
and the format (xx/xx/xx) may be misunderstood.
So I now will write a script (VBS) to read each of these txt files and
"clean up" and date/time fields.

Then I will re-import the txt files into the new converted database.

Whew!!!!!

Quite a process.

 

[Chris Mills]

OK... here's what I have done.... it looks like this will be the solution.File...Get External Data...Link Tables...
10 x 9,192,631,770 oscillations of a cesium atom.

(you must be fighting serious corruptions if you have to do that)
Chris

 

[Guru????]

Yeah... for some silly reason, Acc2k just won't even look at this Acc97 mdb.
It gives me that message in the title of this posting, no matter what I try
to do.

I have written my script to reformat the date/time fields, and am now doing
that.
With my first file, I have imported it successfully.
Looks like this will work.

Cheers

 

[Chris Mills]

I couldn't help being a little facetious, but I hold that your method is
desperate overkill because you haven't said you have tried all the standard
easier ways.

The problem with text transfers is:
Date formats...memo fields...OLE fields. <sigh> Text with embedded quotes...
(well YOU think of reasons...)

And corruptions are not in the first instance much to worry about (that comes
later, when you run out of ideas!)

-A97 is known to "corrupt" yet keep running, but A2k is more critical and can
fall-over with corruptions that A97 ignores.
-The standard stuff is (A97) repair/compact, if there's code then
decompile/compile as well, or if you're really in trouble import objects
individually to a new A97 db before converting. I don't read where you tried
any of that...the current live system may even be running "dangerous".
-Data records themselves ie The Data can be corrupted, though I don't know how
to fix that apart from finding them by elimination and deleting the naughty
records/this would likely be apparent in A97 so does not seem to be your prob.
-A2k has a BIG problem with large databases (not that large-starting at 30mB).
Maybe A2k2 is better I dunno.
-Linked tables avoid (at least temporarily) the need to convert an errant db
to extract data. As far back as A2.0 data as well.

Oh well, you've written a way so it'd be a shame not to use it . BTW, dates
are better output as "dd mmm yyyy" or some unconfusable format, as you rightly
found "dd/mm/yy" is subject to potentially serious errors of interpretation,
especially since I live in a former English colony from last century...(as you
can tell from my ordering!)

I think it's mostly that A2k was very flakey esp in converting but in many
other things too. I am told that A2k2 is overall much more stable. Though I
have A2k2 I still distribute in A2k, coz no-one would want to waste the amount
of time I spent ;-)
Cheers
Chris

 

[Ronald W. Roberts]

OK... here's what I have done.... it looks like this will be the solution.

First... I do NOT have Acc97 on my development computer.
Since I am going to re-design/re-develop the app, and will use DAO as the
dbinterface for my VB app, I want to start off seeing what the original db
looks like.
I will design the new db on my computer using Acc2k.
But I WILL have to extract/load old data into the new database, to go live.
So I MUST access the old data on my development computer.
But all I have encountered is that dratted error message.

Anyway, here's what I have done....

Using the production computer which has Acc97:

Open the database, export every table to an external txt file. Close the db.
Create a new empty db. Open the production db.
Copy/paste each table definition from the production db to the new db.

Copy all the txt files, and the new db (with definitions only) to a CD.
Copy from the CD to my development computer.

Using my development computer which has Acc2k:

Open the new db (with definitions only). It WORKS !!!!
It tells me I can only open for read, and must convert. GREAT !!!
Close the db.
Use Acc2k to convert the DB to new format. It WORKS !!!!
Open the new converted db.
Import the txt files into each of the tables.
This works.... sort of.
Many of the records in about half the tables contain date/time fields.
I get an error message about "Incorrect Format" for the majority of these
fields.

It seems that the exported txt files which contain date/time fields have
them with no quotes,
and the format (xx/xx/xx) may be misunderstood.
So I now will write a script (VBS) to read each of these txt files and
"clean up" and date/time fields.

Then I will re-import the txt files into the new converted database.

Whew!!!!!

Quite a process.

Try exporting to Excel 97 or better format. This may give you more
control over the format of the file
when you import it. Using txt file will only give you text fields.

Ron

 

[Guru????]

Well. I do thank you people for you help/suggestions.

My approach has worked.

Just to clarify... some said to read with Acc97. I CAN do that. I HAVE done
that.
But I don't have Acc97 on my development computer. So I HAVE to get it over
to my development computer.

I tried to repair it using Acc97... but it said things are OK.

I tried to export it to Excel97... but it was going to be as much or more
work than what I wound up doing... I had to map fields, etc.

So... I did create a new (empty...blank) DB with Acc97.
I then copy/paste all the original Acc97 table defs into this new Acc97DB.
I then copy that DB to my development computer.
I then open it with Acc2k... wants to convert it... go ahead.

I export each table in comma-delimited format using Acc97.
I copy those files to my development computer.
I write a script to reformat certain fields in those files, and write new
files out.
NOTE.... there were a few records in several files which were corrupt...
some fields were just garbage.... I wound up manually editing those files
and "fixing" the bad data.
I then run my script to "fix" the files.

I then import those files into my new DB on Acc2K. Tell it to put the data
from each file into a specific table.

TADA.... Done.


I LOVE a challenge... and I really LOVE solving stuff like this.

Cheers,





Guru???? wrote:

OK... here's what I have done.... it looks like this will be the solution.

First... I do NOT have Acc97 on my development computer.
Since I am going to re-design/re-develop the app, and will use DAO as the
dbinterface for my VB app, I want to start off seeing what the original db
looks like.
I will design the new db on my computer using Acc2k.
But I WILL have to extract/load old data into the new database, to go live.
So I MUST access the old data on my development computer.
But all I have encountered is that dratted error message.

Anyway, here's what I have done....

Using the production computer which has Acc97:

Open the database, export every table to an external txt file. Close the db.
Create a new empty db. Open the production db.
Copy/paste each table definition from the production db to the new db.

Copy all the txt files, and the new db (with definitions only) to a CD.
Copy from the CD to my development computer.

Using my development computer which has Acc2k:

Open the new db (with definitions only). It WORKS !!!!
It tells me I can only open for read, and must convert. GREAT !!!
Close the db.
Use Acc2k to convert the DB to new format. It WORKS !!!!
Open the new converted db.
Import the txt files into each of the tables.
This works.... sort of.
Many of the records in about half the tables contain date/time fields.
I get an error message about "Incorrect Format" for the majority of these
fields.

It seems that the exported txt files which contain date/time fields have
them with no quotes,
and the format (xx/xx/xx) may be misunderstood.
So I now will write a script (VBS) to read each of these txt files and
"clean up" and date/time fields.

Then I will re-import the txt files into the new converted database.

Whew!!!!!

Quite a process.



I can convert the FEs easy using my Access2k, but when I try to even go

near

the BE (using Access2k) I get this error.

"Unrecognized Database Format".

You need to open the BE in Access 97.

--
Lynn Trapp
MS Access MVP
www.ltcomputerdesigns.com
Access Security: www.ltcomputerdesigns.com/Security.htm






Try exporting to Excel 97 or better format. This may give you more control
over the format of the file
when you import it. Using txt file will only give you text fields.

Ron